ST. REGIS FALLS, NY — In the wake of Veterans Day, an amazing duo of superheroes without capes, including a Purple Heart Recipient, will come to St. Regis Falls and teach students and educators how they can active compassion, empathy and HOPE in their classrooms — and beyond.
Sweethearts & Heroes will be in the St. Regis Falls Central School District (CSD) on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Sweethearts & Heroes aims to prevent hopelessness, bullying and suicide by providing dynamic, inspiring content that centers on the human interaction skills necessary for schools and other organizations to change all aspects of their culture — skills such as empathy, compassion and teamwork.
Sweethearts & Heroes offers a profound, engaging signature presentation that calls for HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist), Empathy and Action; Circle, which is built on the ancient ritual of communicating in a circle to build compassion and empathy; and the BRAVE Youth Leadership Program, which trains older students in bully drills that they, in turn, teach to students in lower grades, thus creating a sustainable, student-directed initiative that can change a school’s culture.
During this school year, Sweethearts & Heroes started offering Train the Trainer, which teaches current educators how to weave their own Circle trainings for future hires; and STEP (the Student Teacher Empathy Program), which teaches high school students how to present Sweethearts & Heroes’ signature assemblies for students in grades K-2 and 3-5.
Sweethearts & Heroes’ central team of traveling presenters includes: Tom Murphy, Director and Founder, of St. Albans, VT; Ret. U.S. Army Sgt. Rick Yarosh, a HOPE expert, Purple Heart recipient and motivational speaker from New York who was burned severely while serving in Iraq; and Pat Fish, BRAVE Program Director & Circle Specialist, also of New York.
The media can learn more about Sweethearts & Heroes, and see HOPE in action, when Murphy and Yarosh follow this schedule in St. Regis Falls (Please make arrangements for coverage in advance. Thank you.):
Tuesday, Nov. 12
•9:30 a.m. — Sgt. Rick Yarosh, (Auditorium, Grades 9-12; Also open to staff and community)
Sweethearts & Heroes returns to the St. Regis Falls Central CSD for Circles on: Jan. 23-24, March 13-14 and April 28-29.
“Sweethearts & Heroes doesn’t focus on creating another SEL (social-emotional learning) or Human Skills curriculum,” Murphy said. “Instead, we implement practices and habits that genuinely empower and nurture students’ growth. When people genuinely connect on a daily basis, they naturally develop the capacity for more meaningful interactions and thoughtful responses. Prioritizing human skills shouldn’t require extra preparation or a separate curriculum — it should be our primary focus. After all, before we can effectively teach academic subjects, we must first be teachers of humanity.”
“We are beyond grateful to welcome Sweethearts & Heroes to St. Regis CSD to present to our students, staff, and community. The work and message that they convey is important for everyone to hear, especially in times where everyone appreciates more kindness, compassion, and empathy. They will share valuable lessons for all in attendance,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nicole Eschler.
For more than 16 years, Sweethearts & Heroes has presented what Murphy calls “‘the ‘stop, drop and roll’ of bullying” to more than 2.5 million students in school districts from New England to Hawaii and north into Canada. Sweethearts & Heroes also tailors its presentations and workshops for businesses, nonprofits and civic groups. Murphy said, “We go where we’re needed. That’s what heroes do.”
In September, during National Suicide Prevention Month, about 140 students from seven Upstate New York schools attended Sweethearts & Heroes’ first three-day — and phone-free — Youth Leadership Summit with Spartan Race at Killington Resort in Vermont.
Sweethearts & Heroes has also created The HOPE Classroom, a digital subscription service designed for various grade levels and different school sizes. This value-packed offering can allow Sweethearts & Heroes to be in every school in the U.S.
Last spring, Sweethearts & Heroes released Boredom School: For Those Bored in School, a collection of captivating, humorous and thought-provoking poems by Pat Fish. The book offers a unique perspective on the monotonous trials of school and the students who yearn for change.
Sweethearts & Heroes’ first book, 13 Pillows For Affective Teachers, is a novel that covers the themes of HOPE, Empathy and Action in the Sweethearts & Heroes curriculum. 13 Pillows is also based on real students and teachers that Sweethearts & Heroes has encountered. Murphy co-wrote the book with Brian McKeon, of New York.
For more on Sweethearts & Heroes, find them here on social media.
-###-